This past weekend, October 17th-19th, was the first canning weekend of the year! I went with the Penn State Marketing Association to Sleepy Hollow, NY. I had an awesome weekend and it was a great opportunity to bond with other members. This was my first canning trip even though I am a junior! During freshman and sophomore year, I never had the time to go because of exams or other conflicts. I am so glad I get to share my experience with Lion Life readers!

Canning weekend is when organizations and clubs go to other towns to fundraise for THON. The mission of the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon is to conquer pediatric cancer by providing outstanding emotional and financial support to the children, families, researchers, and staff of the Four Diamonds Fund. THON is event when all of Penn State comes together to support one cause. I was so excited to fundraise for the kids and get quality time with other members.

After this weekend, I definitely grew closer with other members of PSMA. 12 members of PSMA travelled together to Sleepy Hollow and it was definitely an adventure. It was about a 4 hour car ride and I was able to get to know the other members so much better. At night, I luckily I slept on a futon, but normally everyone sleeps on the floor with a pillow and sleeping bag. It was so nice to eat a home cooked meal by the host family and I was so grateful for everything the family had done for us that weekend. On Saturday morning, PSMA started canning bright and early at 9am. We were able to spread ourselves out in 3 towns. Sleepy Hollow, NY was not a popular area to can so we had the whole area to ourselves. My friend and I were standing in front of a Dunkin Donuts and we definitely picked the right place! It was an area where not a lot of people knew what THON was and I thought this was such a significant part of our weekend. It was such a great opportunity to spread awareness about this amazing cause.

The camaraderie among us supporting one cause was amazing and I am looking forward to our next canning trip. Canning is such an unforgettable experience and I encourage all freshmen to go on the first canning trip of the year!

FTK!